Toxic Snack Foods

“The amount of saturates is of particular concern because of the potential link with raised cholesterol levels and heart disease - and the amount consumed by children at the moment is simply too high,” she said.

And the high salt foods could lead to a daily salt intake of 13.5 grams, more than three and a half times that recommended to four to six year olds.

But by eating the low salt content foods the daily intake could be slashed to just more than half a gram.

Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of CASH and professor of cardiovascular medicine, said that the high salt products checked in the TSI survey were “literally poisoning our children’s futures.”

Professor MacGregor said that a high salt diet in childhood could lead to a range of health problems in later life, such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, kidney stones, respiratory illness and stomach cancer.

“If some companies are able to make foods for children with only a trace of salt, why can’t they all?” he asked.

Fat, salt content of kids’ food linked to “obesity time-bomb”